


Left Unmarked

by JessTalksAlot



Series: The Lavellan Siblings [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Break Up, Dragon Age Spoilers, Dragon Age: Inquisition Spoilers, Emotional Hurt, F/M, Hurt No Comfort, Lavellan siblings, Lavellan/Solas Angst (Dragon Age), Light Angst, Mage Inquisitor (Dragon Age), Mage Lavellan (Dragon Age), Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Break Up, Solavellan Hell, Spoilers, Vallaslin (Dragon Age)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:27:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27288640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessTalksAlot/pseuds/JessTalksAlot
Summary: Paya Lavellan accepts Solas's offer but the immediate consequences bring her grief.Her brother, Khash soon learns of this and argues with Solas about it.  When Paya turns up missing Khash recruits Solas to look for her despite their differences. After locating her, Solas explains what happened between himself and Paya and the harsh truth behind it.
Relationships: Female Inquisitor/Solas (Dragon Age), Female Lavellan/Solas, Fen'Harel - Relationship, Inquisitor/Solas (Dragon Age), Solas (Dragon Age)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Lavellan Siblings [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1992487
Kudos: 3





	Left Unmarked

**Author's Note:**

> Part of a planned longer work!
> 
> Featuring a pair of Dragon Age OCs, an Inquisitor Lavellan and her brother.
> 
> **This contains major spoilers for Dragon Age and for the Solavellan romance! Takes place after the events of the quest "What Pride Has Wrought" **
> 
> **This is your last chance to leave if you don't want those spoilers!**
> 
> Still here? Please enjoy! :)

Though his words were genuine the implications pushed needles into her chest. Her throat suddenly felt dry as she ford out her next words.

“Then cast your spell. Take the Vallaslin away…”

Solas’s hands were unusually cold as they took her own and guided her to sit down with him. He appeared calm, almost happy that he had the chance to remove the weight of guilt this new knowledge placed upon her shoulders.

They sat with their knees touching and Paya reflexively closed her eyes as Solas brought his hands closer to her face. She could already smell the magic coming off of his fingertips--a crisp winter’s morning mixed with the starting edge of a thunderstorm. He moved his hands with practiced precision and a cool light brushed at her eyelids. The places where the Vallaslin had sat became hot before quickly cooling off and the scent of magic fizzled away. Slowly she opened her eyes once again and caught his gaze in her own.

“ _Ar lasa mala revas._ You are free…” Solas had a slight smile playing on his lips and he spoke gently, preparing for either relief or grief to take hold of her at the realization of what had transpired. Gently taking her elbows, Solas guided Paya back to her feet and gently held her hands there for a moment. A range of emotions played out on her newly cleansed features. Her eyes welled with tears and she began turning away from him in shame as thoughts of regret immediately flooded her mind. Gently Solas’s knuckles brushed her cheek as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and brought her attention back to him. Reassuringly, he spoke again, “You are so beautiful.”

Rough lips graced hers and she sank into him as she returned the kiss. Thin fingers gripped the fabric on his chest and he guided a hand to her lower back to pull her closer. Paya felt herself charged with electricity as suddenly, everything felt right and she could forget about the Breach, about Corypheus, about the mark on her hand, for the moment. She could just lose herself to the apostate mage whose arms she found herself inside.

Before she forgot herself completely, Solas began pulling away. She opened her eyes and moved them from his lips into his eyes.

His eyes were suddenly full of melancholy. They moved as if searching for her own eyes but they never landed on their mark. As his eyes darted anywhere but her gaze his arms retreated to his sides.

He spoke clearly and carefully, “And I am so sorry. I distracted you from your duty. It will never happen again.”

She stared into his eyes, the fear starting to prick at her chest once again. 

“Solas…”

“Please, Vhenan…” He took a step back, now able to look her in the eye after finding his resolve.

Her usual demeanor fell and she reached for his arms as she started to beg for him to stay. “Solas.. Don’t leave me. Not now. I love you..!”

Solas shook his head and continued to back away. “..In another world…”

“Why not this one?” her voice cracked and her eyes stung from the tears that threatened to come.

He simply shook his head, apologized once more, and left her on the brink of destruction.

She hadn’t moved at all when he finally lost sight of her…

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

A new day had come around and Solas sipped at bitter tea, contemplating his next steps forward.

Khash had greeted him at Skyhold’s entrance. He was unhappy and his attempt to argue informed Solas that Paya had not returned before him:

_“You left with her, why haven’t you returned with her?”_

_“I am not your sister’s keeper. She will find her way here on her own time.”_

_“You left her on her own in the middle of the night. This isn’t the same as the last time you ran off on your own, she had everyone else there with her.”_

_“I don’t think I need to remind you that she is more than capable of defending herself, da’len.”_

He let out a sigh. He couldn’t continue to think about his regrets when much was still at stake.

The sound of bare feet padding into the room alerted him that Khash had appeared once again to berate him.

“What is it, da’len _._ ” Solas spoke sharply.

“Paya still hasn’t come back.” Solas looked to Khash to read an expression that looked more fearful rather than angry. “Some of us are going to go looking for her but you should come too…”

“Believe me, Khash, she won’t be wanting to see me..” He took another sip of his tea and shivered at its taste.

“Solas, please…” he pleaded. “You’re the closest to her, and if she’s in trouble you need to be there.”

Solas closed his eyes and began to move the cup to his lips once more but stopped himself. After a pause he opened his eyes again and looked back at Khash. He looked at the young man closer than he’d ever done before, suddenly taking note of how the two siblings resembled each other. Similar freckles, and the same red color of Vallaslin--Vallaslin that wasn’t on her face anymore.

Solas sat the cup down and stood. “I’ll come,” he said softly, “We can start where I last saw her. I’ll meet you at the gates.”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The Iron Bull, and Cassandra were among the others that Khash had pulled in to find his sister. Khash kept a hand on Bull’s wrist almost the entire time they travelled.

Solas was almost surprised when they arrived at the waterfall he had left Paya at and found her nowhere to be seen. A part of the grass was still smoothed down.

“It looks like someone slept here,” Bull announced. Khash had momentarily released him to poke at the remnants of a fire. Solas withheld a sigh as he listened to their examinations.

Khash had quickly found a set of tracks in the soft earth that he began wordlessly following. 

Cassandra drifted to the back of the group beside Solas. “Something happened between the two of you…” she suggested, keeping her voice low enough not to catch the attention of the younger Lavellan leading the pack.

“Yes…” Solas said softly, meeting her volume, “We both made decisions that we cannot return from.”

“And I don’t suspect that you are going to clarify what you mean by that.”

Solas took a moment to think of what to say before solemnly saying, “You’ll learn what that is soon enough.”

And soon enough came quickly. They first saw the back of her hand, extended toward a rift as it closed. Her clothing had become roughed up and would need mending and her hair was falling out of her bun and onto her shoulders. Solas held his breath and watched Khash run closer to catch his sister as her legs quickly gave out. She hung her head back to see who caught her and Khash nearly dropped her when he saw her face. 

There were a few superficial scratches on her cheek and her makeup was smeared around her eyes. She didn't look physically injured but she did seem emotionally exhausted. "Khash...I didn't expect you…" she said softly and shifted to face him. He steadied her and leaned closer, studying her freckles and trying to figure out what happened to the tattoos that had been carefully painted onto her face. 

"Where are they…?" Khash's voice cracked as he spoke. His eyes grew more and more horrified. 

Paya moved her eyes away from Khash's and they immediately latched onto Solas. Involuntarily, her eyes flooded and she quickly turned away but not before Khash was able to follow her eyes to the culprit. 

He marched angrily toward Solas. "By the Dread Wolf, what did you do Solas!"

Solas flinched at his words but met the boy's gaze even when he got into his face. "I removed that which brought her grief."

"So you have any idea what will happen when she goes back home with her face naked!?" Khash shouted bitterly. "She was the First! She was going to become Keeper and you've stripped that from her like you stripped her face! You no good--!"

"Khash, stop it…!" Paya called out firmly. Everyone looked to her. Her cheeks were still wet yet she had taken up her authoritative stance that was used in Inquisitorial duties. "I chose this. He only helped me with the removal."

Khash's eyes themselves became wet and he dropped his head. "You'll be cast out Paya. What could've happened that made you do this. "

Solas took a breath in, preparing to completely place the fault on himself but Paya interrupted. “I know, Khash. I knew when I asked him to help me.” She maintained eye contact with Solas, swallowing a lump in her throat before Bull spoke up.

“You shouldn’t run off to fight demons by yourself, Boss,” he said.

“Yes,” Cassandra agreed, “We might not have been able to get to you in time if you were injured or otherwise in trouble.”

Paya gave a short bow in their direction. “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.” As she sat back up she looked at Solas for a moment longer before joining the group as a whole.

The party made their way back to Skyhold, Cassandra taking the lead while the others followed her like ducklings. Paya walked at Bull’s side while Khash lingered in the back, giving Solas dirty looks the entire way. The walk was silent and all three of the elves gave off different flavors of a tense energy.

Paya immediately made her way to the War Room once they arrived. Khash followed Solas to his room.

“Khash, you should join your sister in the War room.”

“I’ll find her after we’re done. I need you to explain to me what you did to her. How did you convince her to do that? Why would you do this!” Khash was clearly upset but his voice maintained a steady volume--for the most part.

Solas picked up his cup of now cold tea and smelled it before sitting it back down and pacing toward one of the paintings, studying his work as he responded to the younger Lavellan, “Those markings are remnants of a time in which we had enslaved our own people. They are slave markings,” he said plainly.

“You’re lying. You lied to her.” 

Solas kept his back to Khash, folding his hands behind it. “It is your decision whether or not to believe me. After I revealed the truth about those tattoos she asked me to remove them from her face. That is all.”

“What could you possibly know, Solas. You’re not Dalish. How could you know anything about our people.”

Solas turned to look at him, replying, “Da’len, the Fade holds many things. That includes the memories of history. The only person with closer access to those memories is one who experienced them themselves.”

The two of them stared for a few moments. Khash seemed to be weighing in what Soals had said and then simply turned to leave.

Solas continued. “You should ask your sister why she asked me to remove the markings. I’m sure she carefully weighed the decision before she made it. There is likely more to it than their history.”

Khash hated it when Solas sounded right. He clenched his fists together for a moment before relaxing them and turning to leave. But then he paused again. “Why didn’t either of you speak at all. Everyone here was under the impression that she’d be happy to see you when we found her and she clearly wasn’t.”

“I ended our relationship. I’ve pulled her away from her duties far too often for frivolities. Dealing with Corypheus is more important than having a relationship with me is.”

Khash stood a moment longer before completely vacating the room and making his way toward the War Room.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for the read! 
> 
> This will be part of a longer work eventually!


End file.
